ellstah

Hi, I'll be going to Phuket for 3 days (from Bangkok), and have no clue where I should stay. Does anyone have location/accomodation recommendations?

I'll be traveling with a friend and we don't want to pay TOO much ($40-50/night at most), just want to be in a nice area in a place that's clean and convenient.

I've also heard Phi Phi Islands is worth a stay--does anyone have any ideas about that? I'm such a newbie in Thailand!

Gpanda

With your budget, Patong, Karon or Kata beaches will give you some options. Take a look at Sawadee.com for the choices in your price range. If you choose a place, you can ask us whether we have any specific knowledge. Good luck.

simpsonc510

Avoid Patong. Kata and/or Karon will have options for you.

katrinab

I'd recommend Kata over Patong as well. Seemed a lot nicer, but if nightlife is important to you Patong is your place. And definitely take a trip to Phi Phi!! So much more gorgeous than Phuket, but pricier. If you want to splurge a bit we stayed at the Bayview for I think $60ish USD/night (low season) and it was amaaaazing. More info and pics in our Thailand posts at http://patrinadoestheglobe.blogspot.com/

Also, have you thought about going to Krabi instead of Phuket for a beach destination from Bangkok? I really preferred Railay beach to anything in Phuket.

ellstah

Are Kata and Patong relatively close to one another? I think we'll want a little nightlife, but would like a nicer beach area too. So I'm wondering if it's still pretty convenient to get to Patong from Kata.

Also, where is Krabi?

simpsonc510

Kata and Patong are witnin an easy taxi/tsongtau ride from one another. Getting transportation back to Kata, after you finish your shopping/whatever at Patong will not be a problem. It's a set fare though... no meters. In Bangkok you want the taxi driver to run the meter. They do NOT use them on Phuket.

ellstah

Ok, I think I may try to find a place in Kata--Patong sounds a bit too much of a crazy tourist trap for my taste.

JamesA

You have not said what time of year you are coming. May to October is low season and although there are lots of bargains be aware that you can get rain ( varies in amount ) and in July-Sept the sea can be too dangerous to swim.
Having now said that - during that time you can stay well for very little.
Sugar Palm Resort is just a few moments walk to the beach at Kata and is a particular bargain, standard room with a/c including breakfast about $35, $43 pool view, $57 pool access, if you don't want breakfast it's about $10 cheaper per room ( though you would pay around $5 for breakfast outside anyway so worth taking the breakfast option ).
You will find place to eat and bars though not nearly as much by a long way that would be in Patong.

Just be aware about the weather, all well and good when people say 'We went for a week in rainy season and didn't have a drop of rain' but I can tell you that you can get very heavy rain / storms, boat trips canceled and sea too rough for swimming - so if you can tell us time of year it makes a difference to what you can get within your budget.
Tuk-tuks will charge about THB 500 ( US$16 ) each way between Kata and Patong, you might get for 400 ($13), but you can see if on a budget $26-32 for 2 ways can add up quickly.
If May to October then perhaps also look at Koh Samui if you want a busy island, but, airfares to Koh Samui will be a lot more than Phuket, but the weather should be a lot better.

If you plan on Phuket Nov-March then what you can get within your budget will be different, so do tell us when you plan to travel.

JamesA

That's $5 each for breakfast outside, so the Sugar palm deal including breakfast is good for the standard of the hotel.